The present invention relates to a VTR-integrated camera having a VTR integrated with a video camera, or more in particular to an VTR-integrated camera equipped with a VTR-playback function and a method of operation thereof.
A technique for simplifying the shooting process with a VTR-integrated camera exclusively used for video recording is introduced in page 36, the December 1986 special issue (published Dec. 30, 1986) of "VIDEO SALON", GENKO-SHA Co., Ltd. According to this conventional technique, a lens cover made of a square panel is arranged to cover the whole width of the body front. When the front part of the camera lens section is opened by pressing down this lens cover in starting shooting operation, a power switch is turned on in interlocked operation therewith, and the remaining shooting operation can be performed simply by depressing a camera start button at the rear part of the grip. This VTR-integrated camera used exclusively for video recording, however, has no playback function and therefore, though easy to operate for shooting a scene, has no function to play a recorded image back on a TV set. A VTRintegrated camera having the functions of recording and playback, which is more convenient than a VTR-integrated camera exclusively used for recording, therefore, dominates the market.
After a picture is taken with this VTR-integrated camera having a playback function, an image picked up is capable of being reproduced and viewed through a view finder without taking off a cassette containing the recorded tape out of the camera body.